KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

PROGRESO—The Rio Hondo Lady Bobcats used quick start offensively and were fueled by Natalie Martinez and Klarissa Valladarez, who each scored a game-high 14 points en route to a 66-22 win over Progreso Tuesday night.

“Picking up our first district win is big,” said Martinez. “This gives us confidence moving forward and now we have to prepare for La Feria.”

Rio Hondo has now won four straight and their 66-point total marked a season high. Up next is rival La Feria, while Progreso has a date with Port Isabel.

“We have really been working on our inside game,” said first-year Lady Cats coach Lori Garcia.

“Tonight, my two posts were able to work inside and get the job done. It is always important to start district play with a win. I’m excited that we are off to a 1-0 start. Up next is La Feria and we will get back to work tomorrow and prepare.”

Martinez, who is fresh off her return from a hip injury, has started to find her mojo after missing four weeks of action.

“I feel great, I’m getting back into the swing of things and with this team — we all play well together,” Martinez said. “Our chemistry is there and tonight I was able to help my team.”

The Lady Cats jumped out to a 12-2 lead early and kept their foot on the gas the rest of the night as they held the Lady Red Ants to just three points in the second half.

Estrella Garza netted 10 points and teammate Taylor Gomez finished with eight points.

“There are still some things we need to clean up,” Garcia said. “I tell the girls with every shot we take, to find a body and box out. Another thing was our passing; we were a little careless. It is a game of angles, but we have grown since the start of the season and we have done a better job on being consistent.”

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

LA FERIA — Edinburg Economedes needed every ounce of energy it had left to fend off the Mercedes Tigers. The offenses were identical, pushing the ball in transition and shooting the 3-ball.

The Jaguars shot well from beyond the arc and again leaned on Jonathan Barrientes, who returned to their lineup last week and instantly helped make the difference.

Barrientes scored a game-high 17 points and helped lead the Jags to a 52-48 championship win over the Tigers in the 87th annual C.E Vail title game Saturday.

“Our team chemistry is one thing that I liked over these last few days,” Jags coach Carlos Ramos said. “The kids are starting to jell, and when we had Barrientes go down with an injury we had kids step up and gain experience, and that helped.”

Barrientes was named tournament MVP.

“It just feels great to be back on the court and with my teammates,” Barrientes said. “It’s nice to win MVP, but it doesn’t mean it’s about me. This is about my team, and I couldn’t do it without them.”

The Jags came out swinging during the first half and built a 25-13 lead late in the second quarter. During the second half, the Tigers caught fire from the floor behind Jared Castaneda and Brandon Lozoya.

The Tigers took an early lead in the third quarter, but trailed by five for a majority of the second half. Late turnovers in the final minutes ultimately cost the Tigers.

Along with Barrientes, Angel Salinas scored 11 and Saul Alanis finished with 13 points. For the Tigers, Lozoya scored 11 points and Castaneda netted 15.

Corpus Christi Miller finished in third place behind Mercedes. Port Isabel had Daniel Rinza and Cole Pinkerton named to the all-tournament team. Representing La Feria was Manny Solis and Noah Conde.

Poteet Tournament

The train continues to roll for the San Perlita Trojans. On Saturday, the Trojans fed off a dominant 52-point, 13-rebound performance from junior Tige Johnson en route to a 92-85 win over Poth in the Poteet Aggies Roundball Classic championship.

“I’m extremely proud of my kids, they showed up today with a purpose and wanted this win,” Trojans coach Nataniel Garza said. “We got tested several times against Poth, we were down by eight at one point, and the kids showed great character by not giving up and playing hard.”

Along with Johnson, Jake Howell, E.J. Nieto and Julian Herrera each scored 10 points. In the semis, San Perlita beat Comfort 96-83 and, on Thursday, San Perlita beat Pearsall 87-47 and cruised past Poteet 101-68. In their four games, the Trojans averaged 94 points per game.

Hidalgo Tournament

Harlingen South went 2-2 at the Hidalgo Tournament. The Hawks finished with a 64-5 win over Alamo IDEA, and Ethan Mireles was named to the all-tournament team. Against IDEA, Joe Cortez scored 13 points and Brady Bennett finished with eight points.

South also picked up a 66-32 win over Grulla. The losses were 74-70 to Laredo LBJ and 75-58 against Brownsville Pace.

Rio Hondo was at the Hidalgo Tournament, too, and went 3-2. Jabez Villarreal was named to the all-tournament team. After dropping their first two games against Mission High and Sharyland Pioneer, the Bobcats finished strong by winning three straight.

“After losing the first two games, we showed a lot of resiliency by winning our last three games to win the gold bracket. The guys are trusting each other and are moving the ball around a lot better,” Rio Hondo coach Mike Alvarez said. “We got better as a team, and that is all I can ask for.”

In a 51-41 win over San Benito in the gold bracket final, the ’Cats fed off a 22-point performance from Villarreal. Along with Villarreal, Daniel Garcia added 11 points and Zeke Rios finished with nine points.

LORI VERMAAS | Special to The Star

LOS FRESNOS — Andre Nunley, starting point guard for the Euless Trinity Trojans, smiled as a team trainer helped him tie bulging bags of ice to his knees.

“Yes ma’am, I’ll be fine,” he said.

It was all in a game’s work for the two-year varsity player, whose smooth and assured leadership secured a solid 61-50 victory over the Harlingen High Cardinals on Friday night in the second round of the Tournament of Champions in Los Fresnos.

Launching numerous bounce passes along the baseline and deftly dribbling out of the press to set up more scoring opportunities, Nunley led all scorers with 19 points.

“He’s a coach’s dream,” beamed Trinity coach Mark Villines, whose District 3-6A Metroplex team from North Texas gave the Cardinals all the aggressive half-court, man-to-man play they could handle. “He’s our floor general, the hardest worker. Coachable. He makes us take off. As you can see, we hardly took him off the court.”

Led by Nunley, the Trojans’ penetrating play and team speed repeatedly stymied the Cards early and helped them stake a 10-point lead after the first quarter. In the second, a couple of Cardinals 3s by trey-maestro Antonio Aguilar helped to close the gap to 7 and threatened to spur a swing in momentum, but numerous missed opportunities (including foul shots) by the Red Birds spoiled their comeback.

Well, that and some of Nunley’s well-timed stepped-up play, most dramatically including an impressive behind-the-back, halfcourt dribble/layup combination with 1:30 left in the half.

“He’s pretty fast,” admitted Cardinals coach Greg Yates, who earlier saw Nunley’s wizardry win him the slam-dunk contest.

“We’ve just got to get better,” Yates added, though he felt good about the team’s effort. “I thought our kids did an outstanding job keeping up with their speed. I was happy with all the heart and desire we showed.”

This is the Trojans’ first trip to the Rio Grande Valley, courtesy of Villines’ connection with San Antonio Reagan coach John Hirst, a former Los Fresnos coach. “He’s a good friend, we go way back, 15 years.”

But Villines had other reasons, too.

“It’s a long drive from the Dallas area, but we needed the team bonding, so I decided why not?” he said. “Why not come to (South Padre) Island? That’s where we’re staying. Tonight we’re going to eat at Blackbeard’s.”

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

LA FERIA — Corpus Christi West Oso and La Feria swapped lead changes for a majority of their game Friday at the C.E Vail Tournament.

Neither team managed to land the final knockout punch until the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

West Oso’s Devon King made the difference down the stretch for the Bears by scoring seven of his game-high 14 points during the fourth quarter. The Bears out scored the Lions 16-7 in the period en route to a 48-41 win.

“We gave West Oso a good game, we lost it there down the stretch, but I think we improved and the guys are getting their legs under them,” Lions coach Dario Sanchez said. “Their full-court press did cause a few issues for us but we have guys who haven’t played much, so they are still learning on where to line up, but more than anything there were some lapses on the defensive side.”

The Lions went 0-2 on the day and are 1-2 in tournament play. They now shift their focus to Jubilee at 10:30 a.m. today for the consolation championship. The Bears, meanwhile, have a date with PSJA Southwest at 9 a.m.

Earlier in the day, the Lions lost to Mercedes 59-33. The Tigers have cruised through tournament play with an unblemished 3-0 record. Mercedes will meet Edinburg Economedes, which also is 3-0. The two will tip off at 2 p.m. today for the C.E Vail championship.

In the loss, Christian Alvarado, Dorian Hernandez and Noah Conde all scored eight points each, and Manny Solis netted a team-high 10 points.

The Lions entered tournament play with a 0-4 record and have put together a few games that have Sanchez feeling optimistic about what is ahead.

“We have improved since we started the tournament,” Sanchez said. “We didn’t have a win coming into the tournament and we were able to pick up some wins, so that is always good. Defensively, we are coming around and we are starting to jell. We did some things right and I felt we didn’t take many bad shots, we took some quality shots, and we took care of the ball better.”

Once tournament play is over, the Lions will have an off day Tuesday before they take on McAllen Rowe at the City of Palms tournament in McAllen.

Raymondville picked up two wins Friday. The Bearkats beat the La Feria JV 62-31 and slipped past Jubilee 55-53. Against Jubilee, Aaron Castillo dropped 17 points, Jacob Posas netted 14 points and Xavier Ledesma finished with 10 points. The Bearkats will square off against Brownsville Lopez at noon.

Port Isabel blew past Lopez 78-52 and picked up a 76-43 win over La Joya Juarez-Lincoln. The Tarpons take on Corpus Christi Miller at noon in the third-place game.

CLAIRE CRUZ | Special to the Herald

LOS FRESNOS — McAllen Rowe earned a hard-fought 50-44 victory over the Los Fresnos Falcons on Thursday night to open the Tournament of Champions.

During a defensive battle in which many shots were blocked, turnovers were forced and a lot of contact was made, the height of the Rowe lineup carried the Warriors through.

“You got to give credit to Los Fresnos, those kids played hard,” Rowe coach Jose Luis Yebra said. “I think the difference was our height advantage. Our kids were resilient and they worked hard, and we’re proud of them.”

Los Fresnos opened an early lead and looked in control for much of the first half. John Martinez led the charge on both sides of the ball with his aggressive style of play. He created shots for himself and his teammates, and his quick hands stymied Rowe’s offense to start the game.

The Falcons put a lot of pressure on Rowe’s shooters and kept the mid-range scoring minimal. But the Warriors called on their size to score inside and dominate the boards, getting back in the game and eventually pulling away.

Rowe’s bigs, Louie Yebra and Darrin Everage, outrebounded everyone on the court, and the extra opportunities they earned were crucial as the clock kept ticking. Everage was especially impactful below the bucket, scoring 11 second-half points and hitting some clutch free throws late.

“We told our kids we need to take advantage of our height and get the ball inside,” Yebra said. “Darrin did a good job. We fed him the ball and he was able to score, and I think that was the difference that gave us the lead and helped us win the ballgame. We knew Los Fresnos was quick to the ball, and so we told our guys we need to do a better job of defensive rebounding and we did.”

John and Josh Martinez led a valiant Falcons effort down the stretch, but some wild shots and sloppy passes as time ran out played into Rowe’s hands and helped seal the Warriors’ win.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

SAN BENITO — The golf season has reached the midway point, and the San Benito Greyhounds golf team is feeling pretty good about itself.

“We have placed twice so far this fall, and at our last tournament we placed first,” ’Hounds coach Henry Valle said. “I’m happy with the results, and, of course, our ultimate goal is to place at the district meet.”

At the midway point, the ’Hounds are in their holiday break and have turned their focus to the District 32-6A meet in April at the Rancho Viejo golf course.

While the district meet is months away, the ’Hounds are using their current success as motivation to carry it over into the spring.

“We are preparing for the district meet, and we have set our goals,” Valle said.

The team to beat will be the Harlingen High Cardinals. San Benito feels they have the pieces in play to make a run at a district title despite the uphill battle.

“(Harlingen High is) the top dog, and everyone is gunning for them and they know it,” Valle said. “They have a great group of kids, but that does not mean we will sit back and do nothing, we will continue to work and get better.”

The ’Hounds will look to Josh Salazar, Mike Robles, Nick Dominguez and Steve Falcon to help guide the team.

Senior Jaime Coronado is the No. 3 golfer on a five-man roster, and his the play has caught Valle’s eye. Salazar, who is a sophomore, has made a nice turnaround from his freshman season and is expected to do well in the spring.

“We have had some seniors step up this year that hadn’t produced before,” Valle said. “The commitment is there and they have worked hard all summer, and now we are seeing the results and they have done a good job.”

Robles placed first in the Brownsville Fall invitational. Robles shot a 73 on the first day to earn a comfortable lead and capped it off with an 80 on the second day.

“I started out strong on the first day,” Robles said. “I was feeling it, and I felt like I could not be stopped. The second day was a little different, I struggled a bit, but I pulled through and was able to finish strong.

“I knew it was going to be tough to beat my score from the first day, so I tried to finish ahead of the guys in my group. I was able to beat them, I wasn’t really happy with it, and there was room to improve.”

LORI VERMAAS | Special to the Star

The old adage “speed kills” often proves deadly accurate in sports. But fielding an experienced team can be just as lethal, as the previously undefeated District 32-4A Port Isabel Tarpons found out Thursday.

Buoyed by the dazzling, pinpoint shooting of senior Johnathan Barrientos, whose thumb injury caused him to miss six weeks, Edinburg Economedes soundly defeated the Tarpons 75-45. The victory gives the Jaguars (7-3) a boost going into the next round of La Feria’s 87th C.E. Vail Tournament, which continues through Saturday.

A four-year letterman on a team loaded with seniors, “John is a vital part of our program. We’re not the same team without him,” Jaguars coach Carlos Ramos said. “Now, with him back, we’ve been rolling.”

The roll includes a 13-point victory over juggernaut Harlingen South in late November.

Despite his gifted skills, Ramos says Barrientos is a “kid who is very quiet, very stoic. He’s one of those who doesn’t say much.”

But paired with senior guard Angel Salinas, whom Ramos identified as the team leader and who added 12 points, his play talks fast and furiously. By the first quarter’s end, the Jags led 25-12, mostly the result of a rain of 3-pointers by Barrientos (2 treys), Salinas (1) and Saul Alanis (2).

As an emphatic exclamation point right before halftime, Barrientos even dished an assist to Ricardo Chapa after employing a stylish spin move to extend the lead to 22. The scoring sprees, combined with aggressive defensive play that garnered numerous interceptions, staggered the Tarpons, who never recovered.

Well aware of Economedes’ deep roster, Port Isabel coach Mike Hazleton “knew it was going to be a tough game.” Facing a team of seniors and just one freshman (Michael Barrientos, Johnathan’s younger brother), Hazleton sensed a more “tentative mindset” from his team, something unusual given the Tarps’ 10-0 record.

“We weren’t getting the 50/50 balls on the floor, which we usually do,” Hazleton said. “In the second half, I switched to man-to-man play, but that still didn’t make a difference.”

Indeed, by game’s end, Barrientos added three more behind-the-arc baskets and finished as the team’s leading scorer with 18 points.

Despite the lopsided defeat, Hazleton remained optimistic.

“Quite honestly, our 10-0 record has surprised me more than today’s loss,” he said. “So this is actually a good growth experience, a good wakeup call before we head into district. We’ll be fine.”

As for the victorious Jags, Ramos hopes his veteran crew will continue to stay laser-focused on the next opponent and not get ahead of itself as the season wears on, even though he senses that “we can only get better.”

Barrientos’ early-season absence “allowed kids who were used to being in backup roles gain valuable game experience,” making them more road-tested and ready to outplay those teams in District 31-6A.

Caption: Port Isabel coach Mike Hazleton counsels his team during the second quarter of a 75-45 loss to the Edinburg Economedes Jaguars during the 87th annual C.E. Vail Tournament on Thursday in La Feria.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

LA FERIA — The calendar has flipped to December, and that means the 87th annual C.E Vail tournament will tip off today at La Feria.

The Vail is one of the longest running tournaments in the Rio Grande Valley, and Lions coach Dario Sanchez sees the tournament as a way to spotlight the athletes and a way for the community to come together.

“We are getting close to 90 years that we have been doing this tournament,” Sanchez said. “I’m glad we are able to continue this tournament, and it is just a wonderful thing for our community and we want to continue to run the tournament.”

A majority of the athletes have grown up watching the Vail, and that makes it a unique tournament.

“I think this is something the kids have seen growing up and have watched it, and now they are playing in it and it is big for them. The pride here is big and our kids feel like they can compete this year,” Sanchez said.

The Lions will tip off at 9 a.m., and 14 teams will be in action, Mercedes, Edinburg Economedes, PSJA Memorial, Raymondville, Brownsville St. Joseph, Brownsville Lopez, Port Isabel, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, Jubilee Academy and PSJA Southwest will hit the court from the Valley.

The Lions will look to get back to full strength, as they recently got Dorian Hernandez, Noah Conde and Jacob Garza back from football. Those three are looking to get their basketball legs under them.

“Most of the guys I got back are on offense, and we run a no-huddle offense so they are in shape,” Sanchez said. “It’s just a matter of them getting into basketball shape and sometimes it takes a few weeks, it just depends on the athlete.”

Corpus Christi Miller and West Oso will make the trip south. Miller, which reached the finals last year, is a familiar team, but the Bears are making their first visit to the Veil in quite some time.

“We have Miller coming back, it has been a while since West Oso has come down, from what I remember,” Sanchez said. “Those two are some standout programs that we will have. We have Econ coming back, and they are a tough team.”

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

The 2018 East-West All-Star volleyball match will take center stage Dec. 16 at McAllen High.

Leading the East squad in Class 6A will be longtime San Benito coach Ruby Medina, who is back for her second straight all-star appearance and seventh overall as the coach of the all-star team.

Along with Medina, three Lady ’Hounds will represent San Benito: Sarah Garcia, Ariel Garcia and Alysa Naranjo.

Sarah Garcia led the team in digs with 707, and Ariel Garcia finished with an impressive 1,135 assists — a team high — and 412 digs. Naranjo had a strong offensive year with 642 kills and 411 digs.

Harlingen South and Harlingen High each have one representative. For the Lady Hawks, it will be Dolores Mendoza. Mendoza was all over the court with 482 assists, 426 digs, 38 digs and 27 aces.

Taegan Dickey will represent the Lady Cardinals. Dickey led the offense with 195 kills, 48 digs and 60 assists.

Joining them will be Brownsville Hanna’s Ari Arceneaux and Tabitha Fernandez. Los Fresnos will send Sarah Villarreal, Sandra Salazar and Isis Delgado. Brownsville Rivera will have two representatives in Madelaine Blanco and Kourtney Shears.

On the sub-5A list, Santa Rosa’s Camren De Leon will direct the East squad. Along with De Leon, Emily Gonzalez and Kelly Guerra will represent the Lady Warriors. From La Sara, Celeste Carrera and Sophia Villarreal are on the team.

La Feria’s Felicity Watson, Natalie Gonzalez and Karina Diaz will represent the Lionettes. Rio Hondo has two seniors playing in the all-star game in Amber Gonzalez and Taylor Gomez.

Raymondville will send three players, the most of any sub-5A school. Victoria Hernandez, Rachel Muniz and Taylor Vento will represent the Lady Bearkats.

Port Isabel’s Rebecca Ramos and Gabriela Torres are listed for the Lady Tarpons. Sarah Martinez will represent Lyford.

KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — Harlingen South fended off a late Sharyland High rally and snapped a four-game losing streak, and Hawks coach Brian Molina notched career win 300 with a 67-61 win over the Rattlers on Tuesday night.

“I think back and I’m blessed,” Molina said. “I’m blessed to be at a great school like Harlingen South and to be able to coach the type of kids I have, and that to me is a testament to them and the program. It is great to get the win, yes, but I wouldn’t be here without the kids that I coach.”

Molina is in his 13th season as the Hawks’ coach. Molina’s father, Erasmo, is the boys basketball coach at Marine Military Academy, and he is one win away from career win 500.

“It means the world to me, my father is my hero and my role model,” Molina said. “My mom has always been my No. 1 fan and has always been there for me. I’m so thankful for them and to have them here tonight means everything, and to win it here at home in front of our fans is special.”

On the court, the Hawks earned a much-needed win and now have a quick turnaround to prepare for the Hidalgo tournament that will tip off Thursday.

“This is a big win for us,” senior Grant Lowery said. “We needed this and we got it, it gives us confidence heading into our tournament this weekend.”

The month of December can be challenging, with tournaments sandwiched in with the holidays, giving the Hawks the challenge of more games than practices. Along with the win came knowledge for a growing team.

“Tonight was a learning experience, we held a big lead, and credit to Sharyland, they came back and forced us into turnovers, but we are learning to put games away,” Molina said. “We stuck to the little things and did them right tonight, and I thought we had a strong third quarter.”

Down by as much as 15 points late in the third quarter, the Rattlers buckled down during the fourth and forced the Hawks into untimely turnovers to cut the lead to 58-53 with less than four minutes remaining.

Alex Rodriguez helped put the game on ice with a three-point play during the final minutes that gave the Hawks a 61-53 lead.

Joseph Cortez led South’s offense with a game-high 26 points, followed by Lowery’s 16-point performance.